JOHN H BROWN JR HIN Decoder
Hull Identification Numbers beginning with JRV were assigned by the US Coast Guard to JOHN H BROWN JR of SPANISH FORT, AL. The company is recorded as out of business since 2016 — common for older hulls, and useful to know when hunting parts or records. Enter the full 12-character HIN below for build date, model year, and serial — free, no account.
MIC
JRV
Location
SPANISH FORT, AL
In business
since 1987
Status
Out of business (2016)
JOHN H BROWN JR hulls (1987–2016) all use the current HIN format: a month letter (A=January…L=December), a certification-year digit, then two model-year digits.
Free · no account · the HIN is on the transom, upper starboard (right) corner
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JOHN H BROWN JR HIN FAQ
What does a JOHN H BROWN JR HIN look like?
It starts with the three characters "JRV" — the Manufacturer Identification Code the US Coast Guard assigned to JOHN H BROWN JR — followed by a 5-character hull serial and a 4-character date code, 12 characters total. JOHN H BROWN JR hulls (1987–2016) all use the current HIN format: a month letter (A=January…L=December), a certification-year digit, then two model-year digits.
Is JOHN H BROWN JR still in business?
USCG records list JOHN H BROWN JR as out of business since 2016. That's common for older hulls — the HIN still decodes normally, and the out-of-business date helps date the boat and guides parts-hunting toward salvage and owner groups rather than a dealer network.
How do I decode the year on a JOHN H BROWN JR HIN?
On current-format HINs the last two characters are the model year and the 9th–10th encode the certification month and year. JOHN H BROWN JR hulls (1987–2016) all use the current HIN format: a month letter (A=January…L=December), a certification-year digit, then two model-year digits. Enter the full 12-character HIN above and the decoder works it out, including the legacy formats.
Other builders in AL
Sources: USCG Manufacturer Identification Code database (uscgboating.org, refreshed monthly) · HIN format per 33 CFR 181 subpart C. Cite this page: CarWhere, "JOHN H BROWN JR HIN Decoder," carwhere.com/hin-decoder/jrv, last verified 2026-06-12.